Donald Trump’s gag order relaxed ahead of debate with Joe Biden
- The former US president had been pushing for the ban to be lifted, as he prepares for a Thursday showdown with his Democrat rival
The gag order against Donald Trump in his New York hush money case has been largely lifted, giving the former US president more leeway to criticise the proceedings as he campaigns for the White House.
Justice Juan Merchan ruled on Tuesday that Trump could now talk about trial witnesses and jurors, though he is barred from revealing jurors’ identities. A Trump spokesman said the full ban should have been lifted and that they will appeal the decision.
Merchan said “there is ample evidence to justify continued concern for the jurors”, who on May 30 found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to an adult film star before the 2016 election.
The ruling comes before the July 11 sentencing of Trump, who faces as much as four years in prison. The former president had pushed for the entire gag order to be lifted ahead of his debate showdown with US President Joe Biden on Thursday. Trump claims without evidence that Biden is behind his four criminal prosecutions.
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New York jury finds Donald Trump guilty on all counts in hush money trial
Trump has long railed against the gag order, saying that it prevents him from responding to public attacks against him by key witnesses in the case, particularly his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen and the porn star who got the payout, Stormy Daniels.
